Sandhotel

Style

All things nice

Setting

Reykjavik’s main drag

Don’t let Sandhotel’s gritty name fool you: this boutique hotel in central Reykjavik is a sweet confection by the pâtissiers behind beloved Icelandic bakery Sandholt. This irresistible purveyor of buns is just next door, and Sandhotel’s friendly team will perfectly understand if you need to nip out to buy a pair, then take them back to your super-soft bed. Beyond your cinnamon-scented lie-in, there’s a list of day-trips longer than an Icelandic summer to try and Reykjavik’s main street to ramble down.

Facilities

Rooms

78, including 13 suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include a Continental breakfast, which includes a selection of fresh-from-the-oven breads and sticky-sweet pastries from Sandholt Bakery.

Also

Sandhotel is wheelchair-accessible with one specially-adapted rooms and a lift to all floors. Single occupancy room are available on request – just call our Smith24 team and they'll sort out everything you need.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Lounging area with a selection of coffee-table books; free WiFi throughout; gym; laundry service. In rooms: flatscreen TV, Marshall Bluetooth speaker, Nespresso machine, minibar, Molton Brown bath products. A kettle can be added to rooms on request.

Our Favourite Rooms

Reykjavik’s hotel rooms often favour a monochrome, concrete-lined, volcanic-stone-accented look to reflect the country’s more lunar-looking wilds. Not so at Sandhotel, whose rooms use art deco elegance and a touch of masculine tailoring to create the cosiest of city spaces. The Junior Suites with their huge button-back headboards in minke-whale grey, cushions made of offcuts from Iceland’s oldest tailor; and local artwork, such as Birgir Andrésson’s textual canvasses and Sigurdur Gudmundsson’s playful photographs feel snug and stylish. Street-facing windows let you spy on hip Reykjavikers, too.

Packing Tips

Bring some footwear suitable for exploring; for winter stays, a North Face parka and fleecy jim-jams are de rigeur.

Also

Brush up on your Icelandic history here: flick through a novel by Icelandic writer and Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness who lived in one of the houses that now make up the hotel.

Children

Children are welcome. The hotel has a limited supply of baby kit (a couple of buggies, highchairs, beakers, children’s cutlery, child-friendly books and art supplies). Baby cots (free) or an extra bed (€75 a night) can be added to certain rooms.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Sneak down to the bakery and return with goodies to eat propped up against your cushioned headboard – just don’t get cinnamon-y crumbs on the luxurious bedlinen.

Dress Code

Sleek knits and classic Lopapeysa jumpers.

Hotel Restaurant

Tuck into a Continental breakfast buffet each morning at Sandbar on the ground floor. The morning feast includes house-made granola, rich coffees and freshly baked breads and pastries from nextdoor neighbour Sandholt Bakery.

Hotel Bar

A lounge bar is attached to Sandbar, for glasses of imported wine with cheese platters and a range of local and international beers.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10am. Sandbar is open from 12pm to 11pm.

Planes

KeflavÍk Airport is Iceland’s main hub; from here, the hotel is an hour’s drive. There are direct flights to here from most major cities in Europe and services from New York arrive direct in around six hours. For hassle-free trip planning, get our Smith24 Team to book flights and hotel transfers for you; prices for the latter vary depending on what time you arrive.

Automobiles

Reykjavik is the jumping-off point for adventures in Iceland’s wondrous wilds; if you’re not a fan of coach tours, a car will come in handy. Smith24 can arrange car hire on request, and there’s a multi-storey car park a six-minute walk away. Sandhotel is on a pedestrianised street, but there is a taxi drop-off 100m from the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The list of trips the hotel’s friendly staff can arrange for you is as long as the number of vowels in an Icelandic volcano’s name. Ride horses through lupin fields and volcanic landscapes; trek through ice tunnels to the heart of a glacier; go caving, snorkelling and surfing; uncover Viking settlements; or hop in a helicopter for a private tour around the tip of a volcano. First-timers should hit the Golden Circle's unpronounceable beauty spots (Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir), or book a soak in the Blue Lagoon’s geothermal springs. Reykjavik itself is quirky and cosmopolitan, with sights as diverse as the Hallgrímskirkja church and Olafur Eliasson-designed Harpa opera house, and the blush-inducing Phallological Museum. Shop for lopapeysur (Iceland’s signature yoke sweaters) from the Handknitting Association of Iceland; niche vinyl from the Bónus Plötur label at vegan eatery Kaffi Vínyl (only 30 pressings are made of each release); and on the weekend hit downtown thrift market Kolaportið where you can buy a vintage sweater, handcrafted dreamcatcher, retro dinnerware and fermented shark meat in one fell swoop. Along Laugavegur, take pit stops at clothing store Kiosk (for troll-claw earrings, caped swimsuits and one-off wares by indie designers), Spúútnik (for Seventies leisurewear and sequinned things), and Myconceptstore (for tin toy robots, scented candles and turntables). Fatigued but in need of formal wear? Gentleman’s gear from Guðsteinn Eyjólfsson can be delivered to your room.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .